EG33 into 89' Wagon

[Alaska Style]

Hello all. I've got an excellant running SPFI Wagon and an EG33. Her's my plans. Mate the 33 to a 5 (or 6) speed and install it as far back in the engine compartment as possible. I'm gonna run a Samurai T-case so I can sliding the motor-tranny back enough to run a custom radiator up front "hopfully". Those are my current plans for the powertrain. I've got the bulletproof long travel 8-lug IFS/IRS taken care of, that's my territory, I've got lots of background with that stuff. I'm fairly new to Soobs though, I've got the EA's covered pretty well but I'm still foggy on the newer stuff.

 

Question 1. What's would you guys recomend on a manual tranny I should look for that can be worked to support 1OO% RWD

2. What mild performance options do I have, cams, rockers, headers..........

3. I know I need the ECU and harness, but what else? SVX Fuel Pump, MAF sensor....

4. How much can I strip from this engine, EGR, Vacume stuff, A/C, You know, stuff my project don't need.

 

Any and all suggustions/tips will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, Bodey.

 

[Numbchux]

well....you won't need any performance mods. the stock EG33 puts out a lot of torque. 5MT gears don't hold up well to the EG power. but if you're careful it'll probably be OK. you could just weld up the center diff, or get a diff eliminator (expensive!!), either way the transfer gears are still probably the weak point.

 

6MT would be a good idea......but is big bucks (think $3k). and will require extreme modification, and wiring. I've heard the stock DCCD can hold like 800 ft/lbs of torque (keep in mind, larger tires, and the gears in the trans itself effect how that number compares to the output of the motor).

 

 

 

that's about all I have for now. you've got your work cut out for ya. that kind of power either means big bucks and hundreds of hours of extensive modification and labor. Or lots of broken stuff, and hundreds of hours of replacing broken stuff when you'd rather be wheeling.

 

I don't want to discourage you from this project, it has potential to be extremely bad rump roast. BUT, if you are actually using the power that the EG33 puts out, you're either going to need some pretty well-built stuff. Or you're going to be babying it, in which case, just use an EJ22.

 

 

actually, if your style of offroading really needs 230 hp in a 2700lb rig. you should really have Dana 60s, 50"+ boggers and a big block.

[idosubaru]

the EA era vehicles with an EG33 in them are very tight, the motor has to come out for a few maintenance items - like timing belts and valve cover gaskets i believe. since you're lifting and stuff maybe you can plan around that and help yourself out by making the motor a little more accessible.

 

like NC said - it will depend what kind of driving you're doing. if you're getting on it you're going to find a lot of weak points. that being said, there are people running it in older generation soobs. huck has one but he's not racing, offroading or otherwise abusing it so he's probably not going to have any problems.

 

might want to compare weight too - the EG33 i believe is a beast, so you'll probably want to consider that when upgrading your struts and such which you're probably already going to do.

 

the easy and cheap way to get RWD is to find someone that has a "bad" 5MT with torque bind and don't run the front axles. not sure how you could make one fail to this extent but with all the work you're doing NC suggested welding would be the way to go.

 

is alaska a big rust state, i thought it was? how has your 89 missed the elements?

[Awddrift4]

http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/powertrain/27532-converting-awd-2wd-rwd-w-pics.html

just to help out a fellow subaru owner

 

tells you how to transfer all your power to the rear wheels

[Gloyale]

 

is alaska a big rust state, i thought it was? how has your 89 missed the elements?

 

Probably cause he's in Washington. Alaska style is just his Screen Name.

 

For a transmission that can take the power, 4.44 geared 4eat with the transfer clutch locked FTW. Hydraulics:headbang:

[Alaska Style]

actually, if your style of offroading really needs 230 hp in a 2700lb rig. you should really have Dana 60s, 50"+ boggers and a big block.

 

The thing is, I've done all that..... I havn't ran the 54" Boggers yet but I've stuck the biggest of everything else, LTB's, I-Roks, Big Apples. I've played the heavy high power big block 40+ tires 16" lift game sence forever. I'm kickin myself in the rump roast with this swap right now because I can easily put together another carb'd 300+hp GM 4.3L and bolt it to an NV-3500 and a NP241C T-case and be done. But I've done that, and beet that game lots of times.... Time for a new game. Her's what the end goal will be. Think Baja style Subaru if you will.

The motor/tranny will be at stock height, just slid aft as far as I can get'm. I'm gonna run a Divorced T-case and run rear independant diffs from a 1989-1997 T-bird "Aluminum 8.8" front and rear with 8-lug knuckles/outers from a solid Dana 44 front and back with U-joints, not CV's and I'm gonna built a super tuff Buggy style Suspension that will clear 34/9-16 Narrow TSL's at full stuff.

I've got everything but the Subaru stuff taken care of. I know very little about their tranny swaps and what fits what and stuff about that 3.3. I'll figure it out as I do it and find out what I can't but I'm just lettin the smarter guys know what I'm gonna do before I do it.

 

Can I remove all the stock SPFI componets in such a way that I can install the EG33 stuff in it's place so I can have a SPFI/EA82 swap kit left over? I'm thinkin I can, If it ties to all my dash stuff can I get the harness from a carbed wagon and put that into my car along with the EG stuff?

 

I've never done this before.......... Oh, is there a way to make my stock 4cly tach read correctly with that 6cly? Will an XT6 tach fit? I'm a big fan of clean interiors/dashes that look factory and everything works and stuff......

[Numbchux]

sounds like a cool setup. but at that point, my recommendation is to scrap the subaru engine/trans. it's going to add a level of complexity (and cost!) to it that IMHO isn't worth it unless you're dead set on keeping it all subaru (which, obviously, you're not).

 

if you're running 34" tires, and 250 hp n/a. I wouldn't even consider a 5-speed.

 

 

of course, the 6-speeds are the size of an EJ 4EAT, which, as documented by GLoyale (I think), don't fit in EA tranny tunnels in the stock location. so if you do that, you won't be able to push it back at all.

 

 

a real RWD trans would fit better in the tunnel, and hold up better (AWD trannies aren't really designed to just use the rear output). And if you're not using a subaru trans, why bother with the subaru motor.

 

 

 

I'd start looking into Chevy 4.3 V6s. that'd give you the power you seek, easy tranny/tcase options, and small/light enough to still work well in the subaru.

[idosubaru]

you'll want an EJ transmission to bolt up to the EG33. that will be any impreza, legacy or forester. the 1998+ transmissions will work as well but don't have the same number of bolt holes in the transmission housing (4 verses 8). but those 4 will line up with four of the 8 in the other. easy to work around that, but one extra step making it work if you want a 1998+ trans.

 

the XT6 tach won't work on the SVX. the SVX is distributorless ignition where all the EA82 (your wagon) and ER27 (XT6) stuff is a distributor based set up. the XT6 tach takes the signal from the distributor which the SVX doesn't have. i do know someone that already has an EG33 in an older gen car, pretty sure he's got the tach running.

 

none of the EA series engine stuff will work with the EG33. you'll want an SVX wiring harness and ECU or just wire it all yourself with a stand alone unit or MS it.

 

are you suggesting you'd like to use the wagon's wiring and electronics? it's very antiquated, i assume you'll be taking it out? it would be best to have the SVX engine, wiring harness, and ECU to drop into the wagon.

 

the svxnetwork might be a good option for engine controllers if you're wanting to figure out a way to do this.

 

also - Numbchux has an EJ2EA swap post in the USRM - including a very detailed .pdf manual for it. the EG33 isn't an EJ22 or EJ25 and is way different, but it shares some things in common with them....the transmissions are interchangeable and the basic operations are the same - like the distributorless ignition.

[Numbchux]

not using 4 bolt holes isn't an extra step. in fact, it's one less step :-p. the hydraulic clutch (much more common on '98+ setups) will be a much larger hurtle. of course, still one that would be required for the 6-speed.

 

forgot to comment on the tach thing. an XT6 tach will read just fine with an EG33. EA82s have a distributer, and their tach reads an EJ22 perfectly. the signal wire gets grounded every time a cylinder fires. which means that any 4-cyl tach will read 1/3 higher on a 6-cyl. And, the XT dash is substantially different than a GL. so I don't think an XT6 cluster would look stock at all. you might be able to pull the clusters apart and swap just the one gauge, but I doubt it. probably going to have to get an aftermarket tach and mount it as cleanly as possible (maybe a small digital one?).

 

 

 

separating the SPFI stuff from your old harness is possible, but will be difficult without damaging everything else. you'd be better off finding another donor for an SPFI conversion.

 

and no, the carbed stuff won't work either. there were some major fundamental wiring changes from the '85-'86 cars to the '88+ ('87 was some of each....).

[idosubaru]

not using 4 bolt holes isn't an extra step. in fact, it's one less step :-p.

people seem to do one way or the other. he may want to tap the additional starter mounting hole that isn't there rather than have only one bolt holding it in place. easy either way.

[NorthWet]

I understand that you want to use what you have, but you may be happier going with something like a Nissan V6 and RWD tranny. Common, lighter weight tranny, more performance parts. The fact that you are planning on going non-suby on other driveline parts says that you are not adverse to using non-suby.

 

Regarding performance parts, there are ECU "chips" available to help a little, and reground cams, and a supercharger kit. Otherwise, not a lot of support for the engine and it is already fairly well tuned.

 

So, my suggestion is to go Nissan, ... and then give me your EG33...

[kiwi subbie]

thats an cool project you are doing there

[Alaska Style]

 

Regarding performance parts, there are ECU "chips" available to help a little, and reground cams, and a supercharger kit. Otherwise, not a lot of support for the engine and it is already fairly well tuned.

 

So, my suggestion is to go Nissan, ... and then give me your EG33...

 

Haha no:grin: Thanks for all the reply's and stuff. I'm forcing myself to be stuborn here and stay Subaru with the motor. I know other drive trains will be more practicle and cheeper and easier and simpler and take less modification and wiring and Mt.Dew but I'm tryn to do somethin relly sweet and cool here that I havn't done before. I've thought at mating it straight to a NV-3500 and a NP241C. Pretty much a 1/2 ton Chevy tranny/T-case with this Subaru motor, but I think I'll just run a Legacy 5-speed and divorced T-case. I won't start till I finish gatherin the rest of the big parts.

[GeneralDisorder]

8-lug knuckles/outers from a solid Dana 44 front and back with U-joints, not CV's

 

That's a nice thought but you can't run u-joints on an IFS. They simply don't work that way because they aren't constant velocity. U-joints can't run over 15 degrees without severe vibration and that doesn't allow for turning without massive binding - the two joints need to be at equal and opposite angles to cancel out the velocity changes - that is only the case with the wheels straight. Porsche 930 CV's for example, can run close to 45 degrees and are quite strong - that's what most of the baja bug community is using now.

 

GD

[eddie1334]

How did this come out? Do you have a write up? I want to do an eg33 swap in my GL. Nothing as crazy as yours.